We Rank The Nine New AFL Rule Changes From 'Hell Yeah!' To 'WTF'?

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 25: The goal umpire speaks to umpire Shaun Ryan during the round one AFL match between the Sydney Swans and the Port Adelaide Power at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 25, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The AFL has made a bunch of rule changes, as it threatened to do all season. Here they are and here's what people think about them:

Kick-ins

AFL SAYS:

At kick-ins, a player will no longer need to kick to himself to play on from the goalsquare.

Following a behind, the man on the mark will be brought out to 10m from the top of the goalsquare, rather than the existing five metres.

WE SAY: Hell yeah!

This is the biggie. It does away with the proposed 18m goal square, an idea most people hated. While some think that moving the man on the mark back 5m will effectively make the goal square invisible, this new rule will definitely help players kick to less congested areas on restarts, which is what the 18m concept was all about.

Kicking for goal after the siren

A player who has been awarded a mark or free kick once play has ended:

Will now be able to kick across their body using a snap or check-side kick.

BUT must kick the ball directly in line with the man on the mark and the goal.

WE SAY: Genius

More and more players in the modern game are better kicking around the body than kicking directly for goal from a front-on position. In the past, the round-the-corner kickers were needlessly punished. Not anymore.

Marking contests

The 'hands in the back’ rule interpretation has been repealed so a player can now:

Place his hands on the back of his opponent to protect his position in a marking contest.

PROVIDED he does not push his opponent in the back.

WE SAY: Well, here's the thing

It's the right rule, but the interpretation is going to be absolute hell for the first few seasons at least, and perhaps evermore. At what point exactly does the placement of hands become a push? Good luck, maggots.